tion veterinarian has expressed
concern with a proposition that
would see rarotonga hosting
two elephants for three months
before their eventual journey to
the Auckland Zoo.
Last week, Finance Minister
Mark Brown said the government has been approached by
officials from Auckland Zoo,
who are looking at Pacific island locations to have the animal quarantined for a period of
three months.
the elephants would be coming from a wildlife orphanage in
sri Lanka, which provides the
mammals for a number of zoos
around the world.
Michelle Gray, a senior vet-

erinarian with experience in
handling elephants, said she
was surprised when she heard
about the idea.
“It would take a lot in terms
of feeding, logistics and housing
facilities,” she said. “they can
require 100-200 kilogrammes
of food a day.”
“Primarily, they’re fed hay
with fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Gray said she was particularly
concerned with hay as a food
source for the animals.
the hay would have to be
shipped into the country, and
as a biological product it could
have the potential to carry parasites and insects, presenting a
potential bio security risk.

“Even those little things can
affect our economy here,” she
said.
In addition to food, Gray said
there could be a bio security risk
in the elephants themselves.
Parasites and bacteria have
the potential to travel with the
elephants, and could affect any
mammal species here in rarotonga.
Gray added elephants can
drink between 100-200 litres of
water a day, which could potentially exasperate current issues
with the islands water supplies.
With regards to logistics
upon their arrival, Gray was
concerned with the ability to
move them from point of arrival to their eventual destination,

and whether rarotonga had the
necessary heavy-lifting equipment such as cranes.
In terms of a hosting area,
Gray said the animals would
require fences of at least 2.5
metres in height to keep dogs
and other potential pests out,
while keeping the elephants in.
“When I first read it, I
thought it was an April fool’s article,” she said. “It would make

more sense to have them hosted
in a country that has established
quarantine facilities.”
Grey said Australia has previously imported elephants into
their country and had them
quarantined.
the hosting would likely take
place in november, and would
be subject to a media documentary, which would highlight the
entire process - from transporta-

tion and hosting in rarotonga
to their eventual move to new
Zealand.
The inance minister said the
documentary would provide
substantial international exposure for the Cook Islands.
the island nation of niue has
also been reported as a potential
host for the elephants.
- Emmanuel Samoglou

Woman of the Year

Te Ipukarea hits back
tE IPukArEA society president

Ian karika has hit back at scathing criticism of his organisation
by isheries secretary Ben Ponia.
In a media release, karika
defends allegations against his
organisation’s policies, donors,
and re-iterates te Ipukarea society’s (tIs) role in the development of the nation’s marine
park.
“It is unfortunate that Ben
Ponia, the secretary of the
Ministry of Marine resources
(MMr), chose to play the people
involved rather than the ball,”
wrote karika. “Make no mistake
tIs are not opposed to sustainable ishing.”

the president also took the
time to point out the organisation’s involvement in the Cook
Islands Marine Park.
“... tIs believes the best way
to ensure this project is a success
is to work together, not against
each other,” he wrote. “For the
marine park to have any credibility there needs to be a balance
between commercial ishing and
sustainability and tIs believes
the majority of Cook Islanders
want a sustainable future for
their ocean domain.”
On saturday, Ponia criticised
the organisation’s catch data
which was used in a letter to
denounce MMr’s policies and

the practice of purse seining.
“... good try. But you got it
wrong. It’s a good thing you
don’t work for MMr,” wrote
Ponia.
the remainder of the secretary’s criticism revolved around
the issue of national sovereignty.
“Let us Cook Islanders decide
in our own time and place what
is our responsibility of stewardship and not march to the tune
of foreign non-government organisations (nGOs), who have
their own agendas.”
- Emmanuel Samoglou

Te Ipukarea defends role,
page 7

Gale-force winds for Raro
rArOtOnGA residents should
brace themselves for gale-force
winds over the next few days.
A strong wind warning was
issued saturday night, and is
expected to stay in place for at
least a few more days, with wind
speeds increasing today.
the wind speed yesterday
was 15-20 knots, with gusts of
up to 30 knots. Cook Islands
Meteorological service director
Arona ngari said this is expected
to increase to “gale-force” speeds
of 30-35 knots today, with gusts
of up to 45 knots.
the cause of the high winds
is the combination of a high-

pressure ridge to the east of the
Cooks and a low-pressure system
to the west. With the low-pressure system moving east and the
high-pressure system standing
its ground, the two systems will
“squish” together, said ngari,
creating strong winds.
he said eventually one of the
systems must give way, and this
is likely to happen in a few days’
time.
“usually it’s the high-pressure
system that gives in, and the lowpressure system will move from
the west.”
rain is expected to be intermittent over the next few days,

said ngari.
“We don’t expect any downpours until the wind eases.”
the weather will be “warmer
but wetter” than last week, he
said.
“With the cloud hanging
around, we don’t expect it to
be too cold. It acts like a blanket – the more cloud we get the
warmer the island can get.”
temperatures are expected to
range from 19 degrees Celsius to
24 degrees Celsius, he said.
With the strong winds causing
choppy seas, people are asked to
be careful when in the water.
- Briar Douglas

13072207

MAnIhIkI woman rangi Mi-

taera Johnson was named the
Cook Islands Business and Professional Women’s Association
awards evening on Friday.
the CIBPWA’s woman of the
year award 2012-2013 in asso-

ciation with Westpac Bank was
a colourful event at te Vara nui
Cultural Village which Johnson
took part in via phone from her
home island of Manihiki.
her children helene and tairi
represented her at the event.

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2

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

worldnEWs nuti no tEIA nEI AO
Big one didn't
get away
A 54-yeAr-old fisherman is
safe after his four-metre boat
capsized as he was landing a
104-kilogram tuna in the ocean
of Hawaii.
Anthony Wichman was ishing of the island of Kauai when
he hooked the Ahi tuna which
caused his boat to capsize.
Wichman was able to use
his cellphone to call his wife at
home to send for help.
The Coast Guard dispatched
a helicopter who were able to
winch the man out of the sea.
Friends arrived on another
boat and towed Wichman’s
boat back to port with the tuna
still attached to his ishing line.

Al-Qaeda prison break
Hundreds of prisoners at large
after attacks on Iraqi prisons
BAGhDAD – hundreds of in-

mates have escaped from two
Iraqi prisons after gunmen
stormed two jails near Baghdad.
Fighting raged for several
hours after the jails – Abu Ghraib to the west of the capital
and taji to the north – came
under attack.
Mortar ire and suicide bombs
were used to gain access to the
jails, whose inmates include alQaeda prisoners.
At least 20 members of the se-

world BrIEFs
LANDSLIDES HAMPER RESCUE EFFORTS
cHINA – Landslides and blocked roads have hampered attempts
by rescuers to help victims of two powerful earthquakes in
northwest china. The tremors in Gansu province on Monday have
killed 89 people and injured almost 600. The earthquakes which
the US Geological Survey said were of magnitudes 5.9 and 5.6
triggered landslides which buried local houses. Almost all the
conirmed dead were in Min county, where a medicine factory
employee said he saw an 18-storey tower block, the tallest
building in the country, shaking “ferociously” when the quake
struck. An oicial at the provincial earthquake bureau said more
than 1200 buildings collapsed and 21,000 were severely damaged,
adding that 371 aftershocks had been recorded.

ARREST MADE AFTER THREE BODIES FOUND
USA – Police in Cleveland, Ohio, are searching a suburban
neighbourhood after the discovery of three dead women there.
Police chief Ralph Spotts reportedly expects them to ind one or
two more bodies. The irst body was discovered in the garage of
a house on Friday after police received several calls about a foul
smell. A search of the area on Saturday resulted in the discovery
of two more bodies, one in a backyard close to the garage and
another in the basement of a nearby vacant house. All the women
were black. Police said they had been wrapped in several plastic
bags. A man, reported to be a registered sex ofender, is in
custody. Michael Madison, 35, was arrested on Friday. He has not
been charged.

MANDELA ‘GETTING STRONGER EVERY DAY’
SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa’s irst democratically elected
President Nelson Mandela, 95, is showing “sustained
improvement” in hospital, a government statement says. However,
he remains in a critical condition, said the statement from
President Jacob Zuma’s oice. Mandela was admitted to a private
hospital in the capital, Pretoria, on 8 June with a recurring lung
infection. Revered as the father of the nation, he celebrated his
95th birthday in hospital last week. Zuma visited Mr Mandela on
Monday and assured him of “the love and support of all South
Africans”, the statement said. Mandela’s grandson Mandla, who
went to see him on Sunday, said the former president was getting
“stronger and stronger every day”.

PANAMA FINDS TWO MIG jET FUSELAGES

curity forces were killed as they
struggled to regain control.
A senior Iraqi MP, hakim
Al-Zamili, said that about 500
prisoners had escaped from the
notorious Abu Ghraib prison.
Most of them were senior
members of al-Qaeda who had
been sentenced to death.
“It’s obviously a terrorist attack carried out by al-Qaeda to
free convicted terrorists with alQaeda,” an unnamed security
oficial asaid.
Abu Ghraib was used to torture opponents of the regime
during saddam hussein’s rule,
and its infamy increased in 2004
when photographs were published showing detainees being
abused by us guards.
Gunmen ired mortar rounds
at the prisons, and then used car
bombs at the entrances.
the situation was eventually
brought back under control on
Monday morning, with the use
of military helicopters.
Iraqi authorities initially denied any prisoners had escaped
in the attacks, but now acknowledge “some” prisoners escaped.
Interior Minister Wissam alFiraiji said the attackers, whom
he called “terrorists,” had been
well-armed.
“the attack against taji jail
alone was carried out by nine
suicide bombers and three car
bombs driven by suicide bombers,” he told reporters.
“the attackers also lobbed
more than 100 mortar shells,”
he added. “the inmates are now
under control.”
Militants have previously
targeted Iraqi prisons in similar operations, though sunday
night’s breakout appears to be
far larger in scale than previous
incidents.
Prisons themselves have been
a focus for sunni grievances,
with protesters saying inmates
have been unfairly detained and
in some cases tortured. - BBC

as many as 500 prisoners including senior members of al-Qaeda awaiting death sentences have
escaped in highly organised and deadly attacks on two iraqi high security prisons. AFP

Raped woman free to go
DuBAI – A norwegian woman

at the centre of a Dubai rape case
dispute has been pardoned and
is free to leave Dubai.
Interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, was on a business trip in Dubai when she says
she was raped in March.
she reported the attack to the
police, but was charged with
perjury, having extramarital sex
and drinking alcohol, receiving
a 16-month prison sentence.
the case has angered rights

groups and the norwegian authorities.
however, Dalelv has since
had her passport returned and
was free to leave the country, a
Norwegian oficial told the BBC.
she was not being deported,
and was expected to return to
norway in the next few days.
the designer, who has been
staying at the norwegian seamen’s Centre in Dubai since she
was sentenced last week, told
the BBC she found out she was

to be freed earlier on Monday
during a meeting with public
prosecutors.
“We came in and we sat down
and they told us, ‘you’ve been
pardoned’. It’s from the ruler of
Dubai. It’s from him personally’.
It just feels unbelievable – it’s a
very, very good day.”
her travel documents have
now been returned to her and
she was preparing to leave Dubai as soon as possible, Dalelv
said.
- BBC

Pilgrims greet Pope in Brazil
rIO DE JAnEIrO – Pope Francis has been greeted by tens of
thousands of Brazilian pilgrims
as he begins his irst trip abroad
since becoming head of the
Catholic Church.
The irst Latin American Pope
was met by President Dilma
rousseff after he touched down
at rio de Janeiro airport.
the Argentina-born pontiff
has travelled to Brazil to attend
the roman Catholic World
Youth Day festival.

In a speech soon after his
arrival, the Pope urged young
Catholics to “make disciples of
all nations”.
“I came to meet young people
coming from all over the world,
drawn to the open arms of
Christ the redeemer,” he said at
the rio state governor’s palace.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian
military said a homemade explosive device had been discovered at a shrine between rio and
sao Paulo that the Pope is due to

visit later this week.
As Pope Francis disembarked
from the Alitalia plane, he was
welcomed by President rousseff to cheers and applause from
the waiting crowd. A choir sang
an anthem linked to Youth Day
and he was presented with a
bouquet of lowers.
the Pope waved before being
taken by motorcade to the centre of rio, where thousands of
pilgrims have gathered.
- BBC

just another day at the beach

PANAMA – Panamanian security forces searching a North Korean
ship detained for illegally carrying weapons have found two
military jet fuselages. The ship was seized last week after police
found undeclared military cargo hidden under bags of sugar in
its hold. cuba said it had sent the weapons to North Korea for
repairs. Panama has asked the UN to investigate whether there has
been a breach of the sanctions against North Korea, which ban the
supply of arms to Pyongyang. Prosecutor Javier caraballo said that
“in the containers that we’ve opened up to now, we have found
two fuselages of MiG-21 jets. We’ve also found some anti-aircraft
radars, of the type to launch anti-aircraft weapons”.

HORSES NOT WELCOME AT DRIVE-THROUGH
ENGLAND – A woman has been ined for taking her horse into
a McDonald’s restaurant in Greater Manchester. Police said the
woman, who has not been named, was in the saddle when she was
initially turned away from the drive-through kiosk on Bury New
Road. The woman then led the animal inside, where it “ended up
doing his business on the loor”, a Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
spokesman said. McDonald’s said it was unable to serve customers
on horseback. A girl riding a pony also went through the McDonald’s
‘drive-thru’ with the woman. A spokeswoman for the company
said:“The incident caused distress to customers and disruption for
the restaurant.”

today’s Daily Bread
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth

read: read:
PsalmMatthew
33:13-22 7:21-29

Text: Matthew
Text:7:26
Verse 14

a sun worshipper is unfazed as a crowd of young Catholic pilgrims rallies on ipanema beach in rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the eve of
Pope Francis’ arrival for the week-long Catholic World youth day. AFP

3

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

worldnEWs nuti no tEIA nEI AO

Royal birth: ‘It’s a boy!’
duchess of Cambridge gives birth
to future King weighing 8lb 6oz
LOnDOn – the Duchess of
Cambridge has given birth to a
baby boy, kensington Palace has
announced.
the baby was delivered at
4.24pm at st Mary’s hospital
in Paddington, west London,
weighing 8lb 6oz.
In a statement, kensington
Palace said the name will be
announced in due course. the
title will be Prince (name) of
Cambridge. the bookmakers
continue to favour George and
James.
the boy is third in line for the
throne.
“We could not be happier,”
31-year-old Prince William, the
Duke of Cambridge, said in a
brief statement.
the palace said in a statement that the duchess and the
baby were “doing well” and that
Catherine and Prince William
were to remain in the hospital
overnight.
Outside Buckingham Palace there were euphoric scenes
when news reached the gates
that a boy had been born.
the news was displayed on an

easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in line with tradition.
A bulletin – signed by the
Queen’s gynaecologist Marcus
setchell, who led the medical
team that delivered the baby –
was taken by a royal aide from
st Mary’s to the palace under
police escort.
the document said: “her
royal highness, the Duchess of
Cambridge was safely delivered
of a son at 4.24pm today.”
t h e ke n s i n g t o n Pa l a c e
press release said the Duke of
Cambridge was present for the
birth.
“the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales,
the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince
harry and members of both
families have been informed
and are delighted with the
news,” it said.
And the Prince of Wales, in a
separate statement, said he and
the Duchess of Cornwall were
“overjoyed at the arrival of my
irst grandchild.”
Prince Charles said he was
“enormously proud and happy

to be a grandfather for the irst
time”.
“It is an incredibly special
moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for
them on the birth of their baby
boy,” he added.
“Grand-parenthood is a
unique moment in anyone’s
life, as countless kind people
have told me in recent months,
so I am enormously proud and
happy to be a grandfather for
the irst time and we are eagerly
looking forward to seeing the
baby in the near future.”
BBC royal correspondent
Peter hunt said the duke and
duchess spent time bonding
with their son before they told
the family their news.
royal doctor Marcus setchell described the new arrival
as “wonderful baby, beautiful
baby”, the correspondent added.
the Queen was, according to
protocol, the irst to be informed
of the newest addition to her
family when William personally
telephoned her from his wife’s
delivery suite
this was followed by calls
to proud grandfather Prince
Charles and kate’s parents,
Michael and Carole Middleton,
who are now linked by blood to

Attack on porn
Measures announced to curb internet pornography
LOnDOn – the British govern-

ment has announced measures
to try to control access to pornography on the internet.
Internet service providers
will be asked to automatically
block access to pornography
sites unless customers knowingly request access, Prime Minister
David Cameron has announced.
Cameron said the move was
part of several measures to stop
the ease of access to extreme
sexual images he said were “corroding childhood.’’
In a speech to a children’s
charity, Cameron said that
“family-friendly’’ ilters would
become the default setting for
new customers by the end of the
year, and only account-holders
would be able to change them.
he also announced a proposal to make it a crime to possess
violent pornography containing
simulated rape scenes, and said
Google and other search engines
would be asked to block searches based on certain phrases.
“Let me be clear to any offender who might think otherwise – there is no such thing
as a safe place on the internet
to access child abuse material,”
he said.
Anti-pornography activists
welcomed the announcement,
but critics said the measures
would be hard to implement.
Cameron, however, said service providers should be able to
come up with solutions.
“If there are technical obstacles acting on this, don’t just
stand by and say nothing can be
done – use your great brains to
overcome them,’’ he said.
“You’re the people who have

worked out how to map almost
every inch of the earth from
space, who have algorithms that
make sense of vast quantities of
information. You’re the people
who take pride in doing what
they say can’t be done.’’
Other measures announced
by the prime minister included:
- new laws so videos
streamed online in the uk will
be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in shops.
- search engines having until October to introduce further
measures to block illegal content.
- Experts from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre being given more
powers to examine secretive
ile-sharing networks.
- A secure database of banned
child pornography images gathered by police across the country will be used to trace illegal
content and the paedophiles
viewing it.
Cameron also called for warning pages to pop up with helpline numbers when people try
to search for illegal content.
he said: “I want to talk about
the internet, the impact it is having on the innocence of our children, how online pornography
is corroding childhood.
“And how, in the darkest corners of the internet, there are
things going on that are a direct
danger to our children, and that
must be stopped.
“I’m not making this speech
because I want to moralise or
scaremonger, but because I feel
profoundly as a politician, and
as a father, that the time for action has come.

“this is, quite simply, about
how we protect our children
and their innocence.”
But Padraig reidy of freespeech group Index on Censorship said the proposals
amounted to “a kind of default
censorship.
“If a filter is set up as a default then it can really restrict
what people can see legitimately,’’ he told BBC radio.
“sites about sexual health,
about sexuality and so on, will
get caught up in the same ilters
as pornography. It will really
restrict people’s experience on
the web, including children’s.’’
Former Child Exploitation
and Online Protection Centre
boss Jim Gamble said it was
important to “get to the root
cause” of illegal pornography,
by catching those responsible
for creating it.
he added: “You need a real
deterrent, not a pop-up that
paedophiles will laugh at.”
the move has been welcomed by women’s groups
and academics who had campaigned to have “rape porn”
banned.
holly Dustin, director of the
End Violence Against Women
Coalition, said the group was
“delighted”.
“the coalition government
has pledged to prevent abuse
of women and girls, so tackling
a culture that gloriies abuse is
critical for achieving this,” she
said.
“the next step is working
with experts to ensure careful
drafting of the law and proper
resourcing to ensure the law is
enforced fully.”
- AP/BBC

Thousands waited outside the gates of Buckingham Palace for the news that came at 4.24pm
announcing that duchess of Cambridge had given birth to a son and a future king of england. AFP
the British throne.
With family – including the
entire Middleton clan and new
uncle Prince harry – set to arrive at the hospital, it is understood that the couple do not
intend to introduce the Queen
to her new great grand-son until
the Duchess returns home.
Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking outside Downing street, hailed the “wonderful news”.
“It is an important moment
in the life of our nation but I
suppose, above all, it’s a wonderful moment for a warm and loving couple who’ve got a brand
new baby boy,” he added.
he said the royal family could
“know that a proud nation is
celebrating with a very proud
and happy couple tonight”.
scottish First Minister Alex
salmond said: “I am sure that
people across scotland will be
absolutely thrilled to hear the

news of the birth of a baby boy
to the royal couple and will want
to join me in wishing the proud
parents many congratulations.”
And Welsh First Minister
Carwyn Jones congratulated the
couple “on behalf of the people
of Wales” as “they enter their
journey into parenthood”.
the Archbishop of Canterbury, meanwhile, said he was
“delighted to congratulate the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the arrival of their
baby boy”.
“Along with millions here
and around the world, I share
in their joy at this special time,”
he added.
“May God bless this family
with love, health and happiness
in their shared life ahead.”
the Prime Minister said the
“whole country will celebrate”
the birth of the royal baby as
news of the child’s arrival spread
across the globe.

“It has been a remarkable few
years for our royal family – a royal wedding that captured people’s hearts, that extraordinary
and magnificent jubilee and
now this royal birth – all from a
family that has given this nation
so much incredible service,” the
prime minister said.
‘“they can know that a proud
nation is celebrating with a
very proud and happy couple
tonight.’
While it may be tenuous, the
people of the Paciic – particularly those in solomon Islands
but most likely the small nation
of tuvalu, can claim some part
in the royal birth
It is believed that the Duchess fell pregnant last October,
within days of returning home
from the couple’s hugely successful Diamond Jubilee tour on
behalf of the Queen to Asia and
the South Paciic.
- PNC/sources

What’s his name?
LOnDOn – James has emerged

as a clear favourite for the name
of the little Prince last night – at
least among the betting public.
At 2/1, it overtook the earlier leader among boys’ names,
George, which is now 5/1 as
is henry – Prince harry’s real
name.
Most punters had clearly expected a girl, with Alexandra the
favourite at 7/4.
Bookmakers Coral said the
royal birth was the biggest
non-sporting betting event in
the company’s history with cash
staked on everything including
hair colour and weight.
the name the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge choose
will set a trend for a generation
of babies, with other new parents having a boy anxious to
copy them.
the top 10 names chosen by
the punters are James, George,
henry, Arthur, Louis, Albert,
Alexander, Benjamin, David
and Philip.
James has links to both families, but William already has a
cousin called James – the Earl
and Countess of Wessex’s son
Viscount severn.
George has been the name

of six kings of England and
was the sovereign name of
the Queen’s father, George VI,
whose actual first name was
Albert.
It is also one of Prince Charles’
middle names.
From Williams’s side of the
family both his father’s name,
which the Prince of Wales share
with Princess Diana’s brother,
Earl spencer, and his grandfather’s are likely favourites.
At the bookies however,
Charles did not even hit the top
10 picks.
the Cambridges are also
likely to take inspiration from
kate’s side of the family, possibly honouring her father
Michael, or picking Francis,
which is both her father and
her grandfather’s middle name.
Princess Diana’s middle name
was Frances, the feminine form
of the name, meaning William
could honour his mother’s
memory through his son.
Less likely are older Middleton family names such as kate’s
maternal grandfather, who was
called ronald, however thomas
appears several times on both
sides of kate’s family.
the announcement that the

Duchess was in labour sent
punters back to the betting
shops, and bookmaker Paddy
Power said they took $600,000
in bets in the three hours after
the birth of the baby boy.
Once the Duke and Duchess have given their baby boy
his names, the Queen will be
informed before they are announced officially – but she is
unlikely to exercise her veto.
Despite their freer rein, it is
unlikely that William and kate
would pick a name out of keeping with royal tradition, and
they will be mindful of choosing a name that beits a future
king or queen.
In the past, the approval of
the sovereign has held great importance.
royal babies’ names are not
usually revealed straight away
and the public are often left
guessing for several days as
speculation mounts.
royal babies tend to be given
a number of middle names.
the Prince of Wales has four
names – Charles Philip Arthur
George.
the Duke of Cambridge also
has four – William Arthur Philip
Louis.
- Daily Mail

4

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

regionalnEWs nuti no tE PA EnuA

Back to square one on Nauru
Asylum seekers in temporary tent
facilities after complex destroyed
nAuru – More than 400 asylum-seekers awaiting processing on nauru will live in tents
and marquees indefinitely as
Immigration Minister tony
Burke has vowed Labor would
rebuild the $140 million facility
that was destroyed by fire following a riot on Friday.
the Department of Immigra-

tion and Citizenship (DIAC) said
the $60 million “provisional”
damages estimate was for the
buildings at “processing centre
one” and did not include labour
or other costs such as sewerage
or plumbing.
Insurance assessors yesterday
travelled to the island to take
stock of those costs.

paciic BRIEFS
PNG QUESTIONING NEW REFUGEE DEAL
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The executive director of PNG’s Institute of
National Afairs says many Papua New Guineans are concerned
about the new refugee arrangement their government has
signed with Australia. PNG and Australia agreed on Friday that
all boat people reaching Australia who are subsequently found
to be genuine refugees will be resettled in PNG. Paul Barker says
the agreement caught many people by surprise and has raised
concerns about PNG’s capacity to resettle potentially thousands
of foreigners. He says while it provides for increased Australian
assistance in infrastructure development, particularly in the
health sector, the arrangement seems questionable to many in
PNG.

DEAL MAY CREATE EXPLOSIVE SITUATION
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The founder of an NGO which works with
squatter settlement communities in Papua New Guinea’s capital
has described as potentially dangerous the government’s new
refugee agreement with Australia. PNG and Australia agreed
on Friday that all boat people reaching Australia who are
subsequently found to be genuine refugees will be resettled in
PNG. Father John Glynn has questioned how a country which fails
to accomodate its most vulnerable can provide new settlers with
homes, education, health care and jobs. He warns that people
in PNG’s squatter settlements may not react well to the new
arrangement. “It really is ridiculous and in fact it could even be
dangerous.”

URGENT MEETING OVER SCHOOL FIGHTS
TONGA – An emergency meeting has been called this week by the
Tonga Secondary School Principals Association, following what it
says is the worst attack between rival schools. The police say one
student remains in a critical condition following Friday’s attack.
About half of the 147 Tupou college students that were arrested
in relation to the attack, remain in custody. The chair of the
Secondary School Principals Association, Father Aisake Vaisima,
says they have called an emergency meeting with principals to
try to address the problem. “I believe we need to include the
students in trying to come up with a solution to this problem, they
probably will ofer us the best solution.”

TOP jOBS ELIMINATED AT LBj HOSPITAL
AMERICAN SAMOA – Six top managerial positions at the LBJ
Medical centre in American Samoa will be eliminated next week
following an assessment of the hospital board of directors. The
abolished positions includes at least four people who have been
with the hospital for many years. Among those six individuals is a
medical doctor whose employment with LBJ spans for more than
10 years. The assessment also found that these six positions were
created by the last hospital administration without advertising
these jobs. The board is putting the hospital through a inancial
restructure.

pOSTIE DIDN’T DELIVER 10,000 LETTERS
FRENCH POLYNESIA – Wondering why your relatives in Tahiti never
answered to your wedding invititation? A 27-year-old woman in
French Polynesia is to appear in court in December for stealing
and hoarding mail. The mail theft on Hao atoll was discovered by
the woman’s mother-in-law who found several mail bags at her
house, containing up to 10,000 letters. She advised police who
then detained the postal worker and in a search of her home,
found hundreds more unopened letters. The postal service is now
distributing the mail items which had been collected over a twoyear period.

PAY RISE AN INSULT TO SUGAR WORkERS
FIJI – Sugar mill workers in Fiji are to get a pay rise of 5.3 percent
two weeks after they had threatened strike action. The Fiji Sugar
corporation says the workers will also get access to health
insurance and the special welfare fund, while overtime is being paid
for the irst time in several years. But the Fiji Trades Union Council
says the small increase just shows how out of touch the corporation
is. It says the workers real wages have declined by 40 per cent in the
past seven years, while the shorter harvests mean they can remain
unemployed for longer, sometimes up to eight months a year. It says
the small increase is no consolation. The FTUc says the majority of
workers will not be able to meet the health insurance premiums.

the acting president of nauru reportedly sacked the Australian police commissioner on
nauru at the height of a riot.
About 60 “non-essential”
staff were lown out to Australia at the weekend, replaced by
medical staff, tradespeople and
security experts.
Burke said he wanted to get
nauru back to normal: “My intention is to be able to get the
nauru facility back up and running to its full capacity as soon
as is possible.
“keeping nauru going is part
of the comprehensive regional
approach Australia has chosen.”
A DIAC spokeswoman said
the agency had no intention of
transferring any of the nauru
detainees to mainland Australia.
those who weren’t among
the asylum seekers arrested
would live in “tents and marquees” until the construction
of a proposed new immigration
detention complex capable of
holding families with children,
with access to what the department called “temporary ablution blocks”, or toilets.
the rest are being housed in
an overcrowded prison. resident Clint Deidenang said the
island government had advertised for 30 new prison wardens.
the nauru government confirmed it had drafted 20 “reserve” prison oficers from the
community to manage the 125
detainees arrested following the
riots.
the alleged rioters face
charges including rioting, wilful damage and arson.
those convicted of arson will
face life sentences of “hard la-

all accommodation buildings at the nauru processing centre have been destroyed. DIAC
bour” under an archaic criminal
code inherited from Queensland in 1921.
the Director of the Government Information Ofice, Joanna Olsson says 152 men have
been arrested and remain in
police custody.
“I think they’re sort of waiting to have them identiied because obviously the ofice building that all the identity papers
were in went up in flames. so
they’re trying to identify who’s
who.”
A spokesman for the salvation Army, which has overseen
conditions on the island since
september, said the asylumseekers were now “back to
square one again”.
A nauru-based businessman
says people living and working
on the island have expressed
“real disappointment” about
the behaviour of asylum seekers involved in a detention centre riot.

new Zealander Paul Finch
supplies labour at the detention
centre site and has told radio
Australia his staff are now cleaning up the damage.
“they’re just annoyed,” he
said. “the place was almost totally inished. There’s burnt out
vehicles and they’re just going
through the process of cleaning
up after the ire.”
Finch says there has been
some resentment from locals
about the high standard of accommodation provided to the
asylum seekers.
“the quality of accommodation that they had was truly
better than 90 per cent of what
the island people would live in,”
he said.
however, he says despite
this, nauru residents have overwhelmingly welcomed the asylum seekers to the island.
“the general attitude of the
nauruan people has been a willingness to accommodate them,

to try to understand them, try
to get to know who they are and
where they’re at, what brought
them here,” he said.
refugee advocates said the
violence could easily resurface
elsewhere, such as at the detention centre in Papua new Guinea, which is being expanded to
process all asylum-seekers arriving in Australia by boat.
there were conflicting accounts of the decision to suddenly dismiss nauru’s police
commissioner, richard Britten,
a respected Australian Federal
Police oficer part-way through
a secondment to the island nation.
A government spokeswoman
said nauru’s acting president,
David Adeang, spoke to Britten hours after the violence
erupted.“the Acting President
asked him if he could control
the riots and as he said he was
not able to so, he removed him,”
she said.
- PNC/sources

Kapris killed in shootout
POrt MOrEsBY – One of Papua
new Guinea’s most notorious
and violent criminals, William
kapris, has been shot and killed
by police during a shootout in
Papua new Guinea.
national Capital District and
Central Divisional Commander
Jim Andrews has told reporters that the events follow a tip
from the public, ending a nearly
three-month manhunt for the
infamous PnG criminal.
he added as they were moving in to apprehend kapris and
an accomplice there was an ex-

change of ire.
reports from Port Moresby
General hospital suggest kapris
and fellow escapee raphael Walimini were both in a shoot-out
with police outside the capital,
and were taken to the hospital
late Monday evening.
no police officers were injured in the shoot-out.
the grounds of Port Moresby
General hospital was teeming
with armed police on Monday
night.
kapris and Walimini escaped
from the maximum security

Bomana prison in May, using
two pistols allegedly smuggled
in by a guard.
kapris is well known in PnG
for his daring bank robberies
and three prison escapes.
A reward of $us46,000 was
offered for information that
leads to his capture, but police
said the public response was
slow.
In June, Commander Andrews said he was aware his own
officers are assisting the bank
robber to hide in the capital.
- PNC

William Kapris shot dead.

Marshalls refutes sex report
MAJurO – the Marshall Islands government says a us
report naming the country as a
sex traficking destination for
women from East Asia is “totally baseless”.
the us state Department’s
Traficking in Persons 2013 report, published last month, has
placed the Marshall Islands on
a global sex-traficking “watch
list” and says the government
has done nothing to prevent
traficking or help victims.
however, the country’s foreign minister Phillip Mulle
said the report was published
without any input from the
government.
“there may be one or two iso-

lated incidents but as far I know
this is not a rampant activity in
the Marshall Islands,” he said.
Muller says placing the country on the global sex traficking
watch list is totally unnecessary.
he says there are other positives in the report that were not
covered in local news reports.
“We are a strong Christian
country, our cultural system is
based on our women being our
leaders and the backbone of our
society,” he said.
“so this is really not fair for
us, we will respond accordingly
so that whatever list we are supposed to be on is taken off.”
Muller says despite some
need for training for law en-

forcement officials, the government has a very strong and
transparent court system and
the sex trafficking claims are
untrue.
the report says the Marshall
Islands government has made
no effort to identify victims,
especially among vulnerable
populations, such as foreign
and local women in prostitution and foreign men on ishing
vessels.
Foreign women are forced
into prostitution in bars frequented by crew members of
Chinese and other foreign ishing vessels, according to the
report.
however Muller says that in-

formation may have come from
expatriates.
“there are no prostitutes in
the bars,” he said. “What they
see is that from time to time
the ship captains and fishing
masters bring their families
in from their countries to visit
with them.”
“I think that perception is
that they’re bringing in Asian
women for this kind of activity
but actually it’s families coming
to visit.
“We are going to do some
more investigation but I can
tell you categorically that this is
not happening in the Marshall
Islands.”
- ABC

5

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

regionalnEWs nuti no tE PA EnuA

Has anyone seen the governor?
sAI PAn – uncertainty still

surrounds the whereabouts of
the former northern Marianas
Governor Benigno Fitial
following the dramatic collapse
of his political career earlier this
year.
Fitial led the territory earlier
this year, leaving behind him a
vortex of legal issues which remain unresolved.
sensing the inevitable, Benigno Fitial resigned as governor on February 20.
he had been impeached by
the legislature and was to appear before a trial in the senate,
as rnZI correspondent Mark
rabago recalls.
“he was impeached by the
house because of several articles of impeachment basically

focused on management.
“Apparently there were some
deals that weren’t above board,
and there were also some questions about him backing thendelegate Camacho and at the
same time his attorney general
was organising a party for him
which is supposed to be an unpolitical ofice.”
the former governor still faces several criminal charges for
allegedly shielding his former
attorney general, Edward Buckingham from being served a
penal summons as he fled the
territory last August.
Fitial had also been summonsed for releasing a prisoner in the middle of the night to
give him a back massage. But
the governor bolted from the

commonwealth within 24 hours
of resigning and the superior
Court issued a penal summons.
But a political activist who’s
followed the case closely, Glen
hunter, says the summons sat at
saipan Airport for three months
waiting for Fitial to return,
which he never did.
“Initially what I believe
happened is the prosecution
asked for an arrest warrant
and then one was issued. But
then out of respect it was
immediately converted over
to a penal summons and that’s
kind of like a softer version of an
arrest warrant.
“however, it’s been months
since the governor left the island and it’s pretty much public
knowledge that there’s been a

penal summons waiting for him
here in saipan and he has failed
to return.”
Glen hunter says that after
a campaign by the Ofice of the
Public Auditor, which is leading the prosecution, the court
reissued the arrest warrant on
June 20.
But while the hunt for Benigno Fitial took centre stage,
Edward Buckingham also remained at large.
Mark rabago says Buckingham was initially thought to be
in Iowa but was later found to
be in the us state of Colorado,
but not by northern Marianas
authorities.
“Because there’s another case
against him, that was a lawsuit
filed by a former employee of

set for next February in saipan.
Fitial was also recently reported to be in the Philippines
recovering from gall bladder
surgery.
rabago says it’s not likely that
he’ll be back in saipan any time
soon.
“he’s believed to still be in
Manila recuperating from surgery, there were reports that he
is already in a wheelchair and
that he may not be coming back
to saipan because of his condition.”
he says the united states does
have an extradition treaty with
the Philippines, but the new
governor, Eloy Inos, has not
made any mention of whether
he will request it.
- RNZI

the office of the attorney general, they called on assistance
from a private detective and he
was served summons by that
private company that eventually
tracked him down to Colorado.”
Buckingham was arrested in
Denver in May, and then later
caught everyone by surprise
when, on May 28, he voluntarily returned to the Commonwealth and handed himself in
after spending nine months on
the run.
however, by returning to the
CnMI, Buckingham may have
breached his bail conditions in
Colorado which ordered him
not to leave the state.
Buckingham is now back in
Colorado for medical reasons,
but a date for his trial has been

O’Neill defends new refugee plan
POrt MOrEsBY – Papua new
Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter
O’neill is unclear on a total quota, cost or how long Australia
will foot the bill for the refugee
resettlement deal struck with
the Federal Government.
O’Neill lew back into a political storm in Port Moresby at the
weekend after signing the plan
in Brisbane on Friday and publicly appealed to his strife-torn
nation to accept the agreement.
The Paciic leader revealed the
irst boatload of asylum seekers
to be processed under new rules
was due at Manus Island detention centre, 810km north of the
capital, within days.
But he was unable to put a
dollar figure on the total cost
of the refugee and resettlement
programme, a time frame on
how long it would continue,
or how much kevin rudd had
committed to funding in the
enhanced billion-dollar aid
budget.
“I think Papua new Guinea
has done well out of this. It is a
good deal for the country.’’

Asked how many refugees
PnG could realistically accept,
O’neill said he believed the
number of boat arrivals, averaging about 100 a day, would
drastically fall off under the
prospect of resettlement.
“We don’t know the numbers
yet. I don’t think the numbers
are going to be as big as what
we think. I think there will be a
quick decline.
“You can see from the report
that smugglers who are now
proiting from this exercise have
already said they are going to
stop boat people travelling.
“Genuine refugees will still
travel but not the economic
migrants. I think it will fall off
and there will be much lower
numbers.’’
Manus Island facility would
be fast-tracked from its present
capacity of 250 to house 600 by
next year while they would negotiate with other Paciic island
nations to get them to accept a
certain quota of genuine refugees, he said.
his decision to support

rudd’s political deterrent to
resettle genuine refugees who
illegally arrive by boat in Australia has caused uproar in the
poverty-stricken developing nation with a population of seven
million, according to Brisbane
Courier-Mail reporter Peter
Michael.
Locals have expressed concern about a “culture clash”
and open hostility to the mostly
Muslim refugees.
“I think those fears are unfounded, there is nothing in
the agreement that says refugees will get priority over our
citizens,” O’neill said.
“We call ourselves a Christian
country. I think we need to show
some compassion and some
sympathy to genuine refugees.’’
O’neill said it was not a new
deal but one struck with the
howard government in 2006,
restarted by the Gillard government, and “extended further”
by the rudd Government.
PnG is a land of contrasts full
of potential in tourism, mining
and a $19 billion gas project.

New deal under ire
MAnus IsLAnD – People smug-

glers are testing Australia’s new
Papua new Guinea asylum
seeker solution with up to ten
boats on their way amid revelations the cost of the irst year operation of an expanded Manus
Island camp could exceed $1
billion.
the expected influx comes
as asylum seekers who have arrived since the deal was signed
have broken down in tears when
told they would be taken to
Manus Island and resettled in
Papua new Guinea.
Four boats carrying more
than 250 people have arrived
since Friday but only single
adult men can be sent to PnG
immediately with families to
remain in Australia until facilities are ready, which could take
until next year.
A group of 15 Vietnamese
asked to be returned home from
Manus Island at the weekend
with the Australian government offering to give them hoes,
wheelbarrows and shovels and

$300 each to encourage them
to remain in Vietnam as farmers
and not attempt to sail to Australia again.
the asylum seekers keep coming amid renewed questions of
the two page agreement with
Papua new Guinea which provided the country with a blank
cheque to resettle refugees.
the Austrtalian government
is yet to release the cost of the
PnG plan but just expanding
existing Manus Island facilities
to run a processing centre for
3000 asylum seekers is expected
to cost up to $1.1 billion in its
irst year of operations.
And that is before the cost of
resettlement, which could cost
up to $15,000 per person.
the costs, drawn from the Immigration Department’s own
contract estimates of operating processing centres, suggest
the expansion of Manus Island
from 600 detainees to 3000
would incur an initial cost of
$600 million.
Operational costs of manag-

ing a centre of that size could
be as high as $480 million a
year, according to recent departmental contracts on the costs of
running offshore processing
centres.
Yesterday Immigration Minister tony Burke said the cost
would be less because temporary facilities such as tents
would be used.
however, PnG Prime Minister Peter O’neill appeared to
contradict Burke claiming he
would demand a permanent
facility.
the Government has argued
that the eventual cost would
be budget neutral because
the number of asylum seekers
would fall.
Meanwhile, uniting Church
reverend Elenie Poulos, who is
also Chair of Australian Churches refugee taskforce, said the
PnG policy was “unchristian”.
“turning people away is not
a Christian response,” she said.
- The Australian

It is also beset by lawlessness,
high unemployment, poverty,
crumbling infrastructure and a
health, housing and education
crisis.
under the new refugee deal,
Australia will half fund the rebuild of PnG higher education
system, build a new hospital at
Lae, and upgrade the airport,
health centres and schools at
Manus Island.
P n G Opposition leader

Belden nama said it was an
“agreement between two men”
and “Peter O’neill is making decisions like a chicken with no
head,” he said.
he said O’neill was kowtowing to old colonial masters.
“Do we need to make money
off asylum seekers? no. PnG’s
problem is not money, but bad
inancial management.”
At the notorious six Mile
market, a haven for violence

and petty crime, betel nut seller
Grace Moh, 25, said they were
deadly opposed to the move.
“We don’t want to get corrupted by other cultures,” said
fellow shopkeeper Obert Baree.
“they come to spoil us.”
Papua new Guinea has passed
a motion in parliament to talk
about banning other religions
from the Christian-dominated
nation.
- Courier-Mail

Tutorials

Tutorials for Semester 2 begins Monday 22 July, 2013.
Course Code

Tutor

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Accounting
AFF02

Tairi Herman

AF101

Tairi Herman

AF108

Siva Gounder

AF121

Siva Gounder

5.30-6.30pm
5.30-7.30pm
4.30-6.30pm
4.30-6.30pm

Computer
ISF21

Jim Brown

4.30-5.30pm

IS121

Mii Manuela

8-10am

Economics
eC102

Sarah Samuel

eC201

Sarah Samuel

4.30-5.30pm
4.30-5.30pm

Education

4.30-5.30pm

ed103

Ana Andrew

ed152

Teina Napa

4.30-5.30pm

ed204

Ana Andrew

4.30-5.30pm

ed217

Teina Tearii/ Teina Napa

4.30-5.30pm

ed258
ed302

4.30-5.30pm

Ana Andrew

4.30-5.30pm

English
llP13

llF11

4:30 – 5:30pm
Anna rauru

4:30 – 5:30pm

MG106

Paul Allsworth

4.30-5.30pm

MG202

Paul Allsworth

Management
4.30-5.30pm

Psychology
PS101

4:30 – 5:30pm

Jim Brown

Tourism
TS107

Siva Gounder

4:30 – 5:30pm

TS208

Siva Gounder

TBA

TS213

Siva Gounder

TBA

Tourism

UU100
UU200

4.30-6.30pm

Mii Manuela
TBA

UU114
Satellite Tutorials

Check the campus for times

If your course does not appear in the list above, please contact us on 29415 for assistance.
USP students in the outer islands – please contact your local USP co-ordinator or email
sheron.subhasni@usp.ac.j for advice on tutorial arrangements and tutor visits.

article ‘Punanga tauturu: sentence not right’: “A man pleads guilty
to assaulting his partner and the Justice of the Peace discharges him
without conviction – I’m lummoxed. An order to discharge an offender without conviction should only be made after serious and
careful consideration and not where the offence was deliberately
committed. the facts of the offence must be so trivial that a conviction is not warranted. Deliberately hitting your partner warrants
some sort of punishment or method of reform. If we want to build
conidence in the justice system we need some consistency in the
JP’s approach to sentencing.”

A STEWARD’S ‘LONG VIEW’

own time and place what is our responsibility of stewardship…’
Who is Ben referring to as ‘us’? ‘We’ Cook Islanders are more than
keen to make these decisions in our own time and place. ‘We’ Cook
Islanders don’t want these decisions made by a ministry being
advised by the very Chinese ishing company that is taking our
ish. ‘We’ Cook Islanders are not too fussed if some skipjack die
of old age while ‘we’ Cook Islanders as you say, take our own good
time to come to consensus (the Maori way in case Ben does not
know) on stewardship. What’s the rush Ben, a steward takes the
long view every time.”

latest serf-serving letter to the editor [time to clear smoke screens]
brings to mind the saying, ‘thou doth protest too much, methinks’.
that said, there is one gem hidden there in Ben’s latest verbal diarrhoea, and that is his words, ‘Let us Cook Islanders decide in our

a smoke signaller writes in response to Friday’s lead story ‘Bishop
defends boat deal’ that quoted the Marine resources minister. “You
sell your boat to a ishing company for $27,000, they give the boat
back to you, and you can sell it again and again as many times as
you like. Eureka!”

CLOSE LOOk
“Is thE proof reader asleep?” asked a smoke signaller yesterday.
“I have just noticed two glaring errors in today’s issue: Advert re
Prince of Whales Atheletics! (should be Prince of Wales Athletics);
and Person to assist with dying pareus (should be dyeing). they
must be really sick!” ss: thanks for pointing these out: they have
been corrected.

kEEP the smokies rolling in! smoke signals and interesting island
photos will be accepted by email (smokesignals@cookislandsnews.
com), or text to 188 or a phone call to the newsroom on 22999.

‘Full of double standards’
Dear Editor,
to the author of the letter
‘rewards for CIP loyalists’ in CI
news on Friday July 19 – how
naïve of you to suggest that we
should trust reuben tylor just
because he has been a lawyer for
a long time.
Isn’t he the same guy who
professes to have pioneered the

Cook Islands offshore inance/
trust industry and the passing
of secrecy legislation which, as
journalist nicky hager alleged
harbours tax evasion, money
laundering, fraud and other
criminal activities? Isn’t he also
the same guy who used to own
one of the trust companies that
he made millions from after sell-

ing it to a foreign investor who,
rumour has it, is under investigation by overseas authorities
for tax crimes?
nothing has muddied this
country’s name internationally
more than the offshore inance
industry people like reuben
tylor created. the guy is full
of double standards. Inluenc-

ing the formulation of law for
private gain is an example of
corruption, and that to me is
exactly what reuben tylor did.
now that he has made his millions from a shady industry that
he inluenced the creation of, he
thinks he has the right to make
false accusation of corruption
against others? Oh, and he also

seems to thinks it is okay for him
to demand transparency from
other people when the industry
he pioneered and made his millions from lacks any transparency whatsoever.
no member of the public can
ever get information about what
really goes on in that industry
because reuben and other pio-

neers of the offshore trust industry ensured that their nest
is protected by making it an offence to disclose information.
so to the author of that letter:
do you still want us to believe
the papa’a man and his double
standards?
Bush lawyer
(name and address supplied)

Super fund case affects all of us
Dear Editor,
I am writing to update those
interested in our superannuation
case in front of the high Court.
First let me thank everyone
who has contributed money to
our “fighting fund”. this week
we will be spending some of
that money on photocopying

and binding as we have a lot of
material that needs to go to court.
this week’s hearing is to review progress. We have not made
as much as we would have liked
because the government will not
show us the document it has and
that we need to make our case.
Many readers will share our

concerns that the fund may not
be safe from future governmentsit is frightening that the Crown is
in court arguing that the $64 million taken into fund represents
what it has raised.
All of us who lived through the
1990s know how badly wrong
government finances can go.

toagate shows us we will have
problems of that sort. however,
the Crown has said that is irrelevant for the court to look at what
took place in the 1990s to understand what the Act was trying to
achieve.
the Crown is also resisting
discovery of wide range of other

materials, without which we believe the court will not have the
“best evidence” to do its job.
this is a case that affects all of
us-if you feel able to contribute to
our costs, please feel free to drop
those monies in to Brown harvey’s trust account. We promise
we will put the money to the best

possible use.
Otherwise, if you have spare
time on thursday (and particularly if you are one of the 7000
members of the fund) you might
want to come down to listen to
the case.
Andy Olah
Arorangi timberland

Shape up
or ship out
Dear Editor,
Your paper of Monday July 16
carried the announcement by
the leader of the Opposition, Mr
Wilkie rasmussen, that there
will be ‘no coalition for Demos’.
Editor, we, the many staunch
Democratic Party supporters
and executives were stunned at
the announcement, and some
of our caucus members questioned the source of the leader’s authority for making the
announcement as our party has
no such policies in place.
Although our party constitution makes provision for a
‘special conference to approve
or disapprove a coalition government’, no special conference
has been called for that purpose.
the leader went ahead to make
the announcement willy-nilly as

if he owns the party and dictates
its policies.
Please leader of the Opposition, shape up and explain the
source of our authority to commit our party to a ‘no coalition
government’ policy.
We do not want to be in the
Opposition any longer, and we
welcome the opportunity of a
coalition arrangement any time.
It is alright for you to be in the
Opposition always as you are
on a cabinet minister’s salary to
maintain a quality life style.
therefore, please show us
your leadership quality by calling an urgent special conference
to resolve the predicament that
you have put us in or ship out.
Concerned Demos
(name and address supplied)

president Ian Karika is ighting
back against accusations of the
society being a puppet organisation of wealthy philanthropists
who want to take away the nation’s sovereignty.
“It is unfortunate that Ben
Ponia, the secretary of the
Ministry of Marine resources
(MMr), chose to play the people involved rather than the ball
especially given that the Marine
Park was launched by the Prime
Minister and it’s government
policy and also has the support of the Opposition,” karika
writes in response to Ponia’s
letter to the editor on saturday
(time to clear smoke screens).
It was good that the secretary
has finally provided some figures on the tuna catch, which
tIs and others have been requesting for some time says
karika.
He says the igures that were
used in calculating the tonnage
of big eye and yellow fin tuna
noted in the recent tIs letter to
the editor (18 July, 2013) were
based on typical recent catch
compositions for a purse seiner
catch reported by the government of kiribati, not on the actual data on the Cook Islands
catch.
MMr have not provided this
information to the public.
karika says Ponia’s response
to that letter, while labelling
the calculations incorrect, conveniently forgot to answer the
key question, “Why is MMr
talking about licensing additional purse seiners when 40
us flagged purse seiners are
already permitted to ish in the
Cook Islands?”
Make no mistake tIs are not
opposed to sustainable ishing,
says karika.
“unfortunately the secretary
is also wrong about a number of
other matters he raised, which
is slightly alarming given that
MMr is a member of the Marine
Park steering Committee made
up of government, traditional
leaders and community representatives set up to establish the
marine park.
For example, Oceans 5 will
not determine how much of the
park may or may not be closed
off to commercial ishing; these

From left: Mareike Sudek, Ben Tautu, Jessica Cramp, Graham McDonald, Jacqui Evans, Teina Rongo, Kelvin Passield and Teariki Rongo Jnr taking part in a recent
training session for reef monitoring, part of the Cook islands Marine Park project. PHOTO PACIFIC DIVERS 13072224
are our sovereign resources and
something for the Cook Islands
people to decide, and that includes MMr.
Oceans 5 is an international
funders collaborative which, like
most Cook Islanders, wants to
see our oceans clean and healthy
for future generations. Oceans
5 share our vision of an ocean
where we can catch fish in our
time and so can our mokopuna
and their mokopuna.
If our ocean treasures and the
sustainability of the food supply
from it are at risk then that risk
is more likely to come from the
large commercial ishing vessels
that MMr is licensing.
Before any real plans and
conditions for the marine park
can be worked through we need
to share information with our

people - including those in the used to consult our people and
outer islands - and we need more carry out research so we can have
the best marine park possible.
research.”
In addition the Oceans 5 fundthat is why tIs has accepted
the generous offer of the Waitt ing will allow the Cook Islands
Institute for the use of their re- to undertake an independent
legislative review to help desearch vessel says karika.
termine how the
“staff of M M r
Marine Park will
and this includes
Oceans 5 share
function, and also
the secretary were
our vision of
to develop a manoffered places on
an ocean where
agement plan.
the research trip but
we can catch
this requires
the secretary disapish in our time
extensive consultapointingly turned
and so can our
tion with the Cook
the opportunity
mokopuna and
Islands public,
down.
their mokopuna.
and given the detIs has received
mographics of the
$200k to date and
$600k has been approved by country, this is a very expensive
Oceans 5 over a twelve month undertaking.
Consultation will be taking
period. this funding does include the salary of the small place on all inhabited islands
staff but the majority of it will be to explain the marine park pro-

posal and to seek their opinions.
Finally it is worth reiterating
that tIs was given the task of
setting up the marine park by
the government, and reports to
the marine park steering committee, which is chaired by the
Ofice of the Prime Minister.”
karika says a little under a
year ago, at the formal opening of the 43rd Pacific Leaders
Forum, the prime minister formally launched the Cook Islands
marine park and in doing so, the
commitment of one of the largest areas in history by a single
country for integrated ocean
conservation and management.
“With the full support of my
government, traditional leaders
and local communities, as well
as the past contributions by the
present Opposition, the marine

park will provide the necessary
framework to promote sustainable development by balancing
economic growth interests such
as tourism, ishing and deep-sea
mining, with conserving core
biodiversity and natural assets,
in the ocean, reefs and islands,”
Prime Minister henry Puna said
at the time.
“tIs believes the best way to
ensure this project is a success
is to work together, not against
each other.
For the marine park to have
any credibility there needs to
be a balance between commercial fishing and sustainability
and tIs believes the majority of
Cook Islanders want a sustainable future for their ocean domain,” said karika.
- Release

8

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

Screen printing on display
thE CrEAtIVE talent from recent
screen printing workshops is currently
on display.
Workshop facilitator Anna rasmussen says the exhibition is being held at
the Cook Islands national Museum,
and will continue until Friday.
the exhibition opened last Wednesday to showcase the creations of the
group who took part in the workshops
earlier this month.
Participants created their own designs, which are on display alongside
screen printed cloth bags and another
piece of art based on their original print.
“the participants all really loved
it,” rasmussen said of the workshops,
which were led by experienced screen
printer rennie Peyroux.
the screen printing course is one of
many taking place this year through the
Ministry of Education, with another
full intake of the workshops set to take
place in October.
- Rachel Smith

One of the stunning screen print designs that Facilitator of the screen printing workshops ana rasmussen assists ake Mitchell at the workshops that were held
was produced during the workshop. 13071104
recently. 13071101

the

Dining taBLe
the Dining table is a regular weekly feature, giving you options on where
to eat, drink and be entertained.

Best use of local ish and
ingredients! Crusoe’s ish of the day.
a healthy serving of perfectly
pan-fried Mai Mai in garlic butter
and special local herbs, placed
on a bed of vegetable risotto and
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aquarius

is important was part of the
message of Lagoon Day held
last week.
the answer to the question
of ish age lies in the number of
rings or otoliths you can count.
Every ish has bones inside their
heads called Otoliths and these
bones form layers of calcium carbonate and the rate at which this
happens varies with the age of
the ish. This results in the appearance of rings, which can be
counted to determine the age of
a ish.
students and adults alike
found out that knowing the age
of a ish is important to work out
how fast the fish are growing,

how many young ish are being
caught in our isheries, to help
determine size and structure
of the species and most importantly to help with managing
our isheries.
students from st Josephs
school were amongst the group
of schools who participated in
Lagoon Day and were very keen
to know all about rings in ish.
tuna fun facts kept the kids
and teachers occupied. they also
had a go at performing a lagoon
health check.
Part of the discussion was on
biodiversity in marine lora and
fauna, and children were also
taught about the animals and
plants living in the lagoon and

exploring the threats to them
and the need for marine protected areas.
steve rocliffe, stall host for
the Ministry of Marine resources decided to combine his research with his discussion on Lagoon Day. his research is about
marine protected areas that are
managed by local people, like
the raui here in the Cooks.
he wants to teach the children
about the animals and plants living in the lagoon and exploring
the threats to them and the need
for marine protected areas.
It was all about the lagoon on
Lagoon Day, and from the crowd
numbers it was well worth it.
- Sahiban Kanwal

Otoliths-rings in the head of ish-reveal their age. 13071926

sWitCh On
with te aponga uira

unPLug unuseD
eLeCtROniCs
try to switch of appliances that are
not in use, rather than leave them
on standby. this includes your tV,
computer, DVD player or stereo.
Remember as well to unplug your
mobile phone charger.
it might seem like a drop in the ocean,
but you could save a few kilowatt
hours and a couple of bucks for the
sake of licking a switch.
students from st Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school get up close with some tuna heads at Lagoon day. 13071925

www.teaponga.com

10

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

Woman of the year from Manihiki
PAssIOnAtE and skilled Manihiki handicrafts creator and
cook rangi Mitaera Johnson was
named woman of the year at the
Cook Islands Business and Professional Women’s Association
awards evening on Friday.
the CIBPWA’s woman of the

year award 2012-2013 in association with Westpac Bank was
a colourful event at te Vara nui
Cultural Village which Johnson
took part in via phone from her
home island of Manihiki.
Dressed in her muumuu and
with a glass of wine in hand –

Johnson joined the evening’s
celebration where she not only
listened to the speeches on the
night but also address the crowd
on the night.
Johnson’s children helene
and tairi, who attend school
in rarotonga, were on hand to

represent their mother at Friday
evening’s award.
CIBPWA president Jenner
Davis says all seven women
nominated for the award were
worthy of the nomination.
“there were seven worthy
nominees and the highlight of
the evening was the nominee’s
support of each other as they listened to the judge’s announcement and then their warmth
and congratulations to helene
and tairi on rangi’s win. they
are a special group of women,”
says Davis.
In addition to Johnson, the
nominees were Marie Francis,
nicolina Jim, teina Mackenzie,
tanya savage, Frances taoro,
and rosa tauia.
In the lead-up to announcing the winner, major sponsor
Westpac Bank highlighted its
support of the event and its ties
to larger support of women’s issues in the community.

CIBPWA patron, helen henry, presented the patron’s award
to Jolene Bosanquet-heays as a
BPW member making significant contributions in the community through various organizations, including a recent
appointment to unEsCO.
Davis then spoke about each
nominee, highlighting their
personalities and achievements
before asking each to stand and
be recognised.
she noted the diversity of the
nominees and thanked them
for accepting their nominations. she encouraged others
in the future to do the same if
for no other reason than they
may inspire someone else who
did not know a certain path was
possible.
After dinner, the judging
panel was introduced and Mike
Pynenberg, president of the rotary Club of rarotonga, represented the judges in announcing

rangi Johnson as the winner.
As winner, Johnson received
over $12,000 worth of prizes,
including a $2500 cheque from
Westpac. Via telephone, Johnson
humbly expressed her gratitude
and told the crowd she was in
her muumuu with a glass of
wine listening to the evening’s
events.
Johnson is passionate about
and skilled in local handicraft
and the use of local products.
her recipes were included in
robert Oliver’s award winning
cook book Me’a kai and she demonstrated cooking on Oliver’s international television series.
Johnson was the Business
Advisory Service oficer for the
Ministry of Marine resources
in Manihiki as part of the 20122013 new Zealand Aid Programme pearl project. she has
also participated in regional climate change workshops.
- MW/BPW

Woman of the year nominee nicolina Jim. 13072218

Woman of the year Rangi Mitaera Johnson with Robert Oliver during the ilming of his cooking
series for Real Pasiika. 13072208

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• Do you have integrity?
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Come and talk to us at the
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Woman of the year nominee Tanya savage and partner Taki anaru.

13072211

11

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

Documenting the marine park
DAVID hAnnOn didn’t start

out as a conservationist, but
years of filming marine life
made the impact of humans
on the environment hard to
ignore.
Passionate about the ocean
from an early age, the Australian filmmaker has won international acclaim for his images
of coral reefs and other marine
life. he is currently in the Cooks
to help out with a research
project for the Cook Islands Marine Park – where a team from
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS), Ofice
of the Prime Minister, the Paciic Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) and the national
Environment service (nEs) are
going on a three-week expedition to investigate the state of
some areas of the marine park.
hannon will be working as a
volunteer to document their
efforts.
“this is a massive challenge,
to ind out what is out there and

which areas need protecting,”
he said.
hannon has been a diver for
many years. he also worked as
a fisherman for five years and
charter boat captain for another
five years. he said his knowledge of the fishing industry
“opens doors” and helps him
understand his subject material.
he began making films in
1988. his work includes the internationally acclaimed ‘Coral
sea dreaming – A celebration of
reefs’ – which depicts the biodiversity of coral reefs in vivid
high-deinition.
through his work, hannon
said he saw the reality of damage to coral reefs. After ilming
at the Great Barrier reef, he returned to the same spot years
later and was struck by how little was left alive.
he said since he began diving
in the 1960s, around 50 per cent
of the world’s coral reefs have

been lost, and what remains urgently needs protecting.
hannon has recently established the Ocean Ark Alliance – a
not-for-proit organisation that
aims to create an open-access educational resource and establish
conservation initiatives.
As part of the Ocean Ark Alliance initiative, hannon wants
to make his video library – and
those of others – available to
schools, tertiary institutions,
museums and non-government
organisations, including those
in the Cooks.
“We’re making it available
to everyone, but my focus is on
secondary schools – they’re the
kids who are entering the voting
population.”
While on rarotonga, hannon
helped out at Lagoon Day and
ilmed some of the event. Monday saw the start of the marine
park research expedition, which
will run until August 11.
- Briar Douglas

david hannon helping out at Lagoon day at Punanga nui market. 13072201

david hannon and his camera were a star attraction for children at Lagoon day, stealing the
limelight at one of the stalls at Punanga nui market. 13072202

Expedition begins
A rEsEArCh project to inves-

tigate the Cook Islands Marine
Park began yesterday.
A team of eight Cook Islands
residents are on research vessel ‘Plan B’, which has been
donated for the purpose of the
three-week expedition.
the yacht belongs to the
Waitt Institute, which is a
member of Oceans 5 – a global
collaborative that aims to help
protect the world’s oceans.

It arrived in rarotonga on
saturday with a permanent
staff of ifteen. There were also
10 people boarding the yacht in
the Cooks, including members
of the te Ipukarea society (tIs),
Office of the Prime Minister,
the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) and the
national Environment service
(nEs).
the aim is to investigate certain areas of the marine park,

beginning with a site around
320km south-west of rarotonga that has yet to be surveyed.
the team will be looking at
corals, ish and other invertebrates, and the information
they gather will be used as part
of the management plan for the
marine park.
the research expedition will
run until August 11, when the
ship will sail to Fiji.
- Briar Douglas

David Hannon adjusts his camera while ilming the recent Lagoon Day event. 13072203

Plan B was donated as a research vessel for three weeks by the Waitt institute. PHOTO YACHTMATI.COM. 13072227

12

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

Design a logo and win $500
FIVE-hunDrED dollars is up
for grabs for the winner of a
marine park logo competition.
the search for a logo to brand
the Cook Islands Marine Park
began last thursday with the
opening of Lagoon Day, and
people have until August 16 at
5pm to get their entries in.
the winning logo will be
used extensively on products,
printed material, clothing, me-

dia releases, websites, and other
things associated with the Cook
Islands Marine Park.
the logo design should be
easily applied to fabric, paper,
and an online format.
Prime Minister henry Puna
MP has chosen Lagoon Day to
launch the search for a uniquely
Cook Islands logo with which to
brand the Cook Islands Marine
Park.

Puna formally launched the
Cook Islands Marine Park a little under a year ago at the formal opening of the 43rd Paciic
Leaders Forum. It will be one of
the largest areas in history by
a single country for integrated
ocean conservation and management.
the Marine Park will encompass approximately 1.1 million
square kilometres of the south-

ern Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
the design of the marine park
is still in progress and it is hoped
that it will be fully legally designated and zoned by the end
of 2015.
the logo competition is open
to everyone resident in the Cook
Islands and to all Cook Islanders
living elsewhere.
Entries are expected to be

in a high-resolution format
and contain a descriptor. they
need to include a name, address
and phone number and can be
emailed to jaewynn@wovencommunications.com or handdelivered or posted to:
Communications Co-ordinator, Cook Islands Marine Park,
PO Box 649, Avarua, rarotonga,
Cook Islands; tIs Office (half
way between tamarind house

and the Fishing Club). those
with questions can contact
Jaewynn Mckay on 21144 or
55486; or to the above email
address.
the competition will close at
5pm Friday August 16 and by
the end of the following week,
the Prime Minister will have
chosen the winning logo. the
designer of the winning logo
will receive nZ$500. - TIS/BD

courtnEWs akava’anga

Vaka jumping decision reserved
JustICE sir hugh Williams has
reserved judgement for two declaratory judgements that have
the potential to significantly
alter the Cook Islands political
system.
Yesterday, the high Court
heard arguments from the
Crown and Independent Atiu
member of parliament norman George, who is requesting
judgements on two applications.

“I reserve my decision to consult a law book available only in
new Zealand, it will be a while,
but not while I am here,” said
Justice Williams.
the first application has
George asking the court to declare the 2007 Electoral Amendment Act unconstitutional.
the act relates to the issue
of “vaka jumping” or the party
hopping law.

Yesterday, George repeated
his grievances with the 2007
legislation.
“the Electoral Amendment
Act is not anti-party hopping
legislation,” he said. “It should
be labelled as the vote restrictions Act.”
the second application relates to the Cook Islands Party
(CIP) not accepting George’s
resignation from the party on

March 7, 2011.
At the time, George said says
he was given support by 97 per
cent of his voters to leave the
CIP ranks and defended his decision by saying he had never
paid for a membership card
with the party.
During yesterday’s sitting,
the court heard George had paid
$3100 into CIP coffers between
2007 and 2008.

Payments of $200 were made
by George fortnightly as part
of a plan that saw caucus requesting MPs to contribute a
portion of their salary to pay
off the party’s debt, which had
accumulated to somewhere between $70-$80,000.
the court heard only George
and current Marine resources
Minister teina Bishop heeded
the request for funds.

CIP executive Mike savage,
who testified in court yesterday, said party members have
not been consistently paying
annual dues.
no definitive decision date
was mentioned in court, and
Justice Williams said he will be
seeking counsel before judging
the case.
- Emmanuel Samoglou

Public servant let off without conviction

thE hIGh Court was presid-

ed over by Justice of the Peace
Bernice Manarangi on July 18
who passed the following judgements:

A man with name suppression – pleaded guilty to a

charge of assault on a female.
his lawyer norman George told
the court that the man, a pub-

lic servant, was upset that the
mother of their two- month-old
child was out drinking while he
was at home caring for the child.
he went to the party where he

then slapped her on the left side
of the face. George asked that
the man be given the beneit of
the doubt as this was the man's
irst conviction and that the assault was “a technical assault
based on passion”.
JP Manarangi said that an
assault charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in
prison, however given that the
baby is so young and that the
girl should have been at home
she discharged the man without
conviction.
Rima Iotua – had entered a
plea of not guilty to a charge of
breach of probationary licence.
his case has been adjourned to
July 25.

tering a guilty plea to a charge
of refusing to undergo a breath
test. the police submitted that
he should be ined and disqualified for 12 months, in accordance with the penalties for the
offence, and also opposed reed’s
application for a conditional
licence. his counsel kura Wikaitaia submitted that a conditional licence was essential for
reed to perform his duties as a
manager of a resort, and that the
services of another driver could
not conveniently be made. JP
Manarangi decided that reed
could make other arrangements
to fuill his duties as resort manager so his application for conditional licence was denied.

Patua Ngatamariki Crummer

Teatuaaveroa Tuakanangaro

– entered a guilty plea for three
burglary charges and contempt
of court. In January Crummer
broke into the ngatangiia Assembly of God church, taking
a laptop and microphones. he
then did not appear in court
three times and a warrant had
been issued for his arrest. he
had previously entered a not
guilty plea to the charges. this
time Crummer was released on
bail to reside with an aunty. he
will be sentenced on August 28.
Beniamina Patia – had already
pleaded guilty to a burglary at
Pandanus, and is now pleading
guilty for breaking and entering the archives in takuvaine.
Probation oficers said that Patia was to be released on bail because his aunty had agreed to
take him under her care. their
report said he is doing very well
and is working for teava Iro on
a plantation. Lawyer Wilkie
rasmussen seeks an amendment to curfew conditions set
by probation, so that he may go
to practices Friday, saturday and
possibly sunday nights accompanied by his aunty.
Patia’s case was adjourned to
August 28.
Alex Root Reed – appeared for
sentencing after previously en-

–charged with unlawful taking,
has withdrawn his guilty plea.
his lawyer Charles Petero wants
the matter adjourned to get
more information from prosecution. the case was adjourned
to August 31.
Leroy Robinson – robinson
entered a guilty plea to common
assault and one of not guilty to
injuring with intent in an incident that took place in tupapa.
Lawyer Wilkie rasmussen said
robinson was jointly charged
with another defendant, noema
kauvarevai, and that it is preferable that they are put forward
together on thursday next
week. robinson’s case was adjourned to July 24 for sentencing.
John Samatua – pleaded guilty
to a charge of wilful damage,
for smashing a motorcycle belonging to one of a group of
youths harassing samatua and
his brother in Pue on April 15.
the victim claimed that the
motorcycle’s damages cost up
to $2000. samatua’s lawyer norman George said that samatua
had told the youths to leave,
but because “authority means
nothing” to youth these days
they instead attacked samatua’s
brother.

he also said samatua was
happy to pay a ine but not the
amount stated. Because there
is no evidence for the proposed
cost of damages to the bike, the
JP ruled that Samatua is ined a
minimal amount.

Damon Harley Anderson
Tamariki –had been charged
with unlawful taking and theft
and is currently on bail. his lawyer norman George wanted to
adjourn the case until August 1
so that he can talk with tamariki and work out where to move
from here.
Eliesa Sivaro – is awaiting a
jury trial for rape and indecent
assault, was not aware of an extra three rape charges against
him. his lawyer norman George
requested that matters be adjourned until August 1.
Noah Bailey – has not yet
pleaded on a charge of excess
breath alcohol. his case has been
adjourned to August 1.
James Estall –was not in court
as he was not aware of his case
being on call-over. he is charged
with dangerous driving causing
death, relating to an incident
last year where Estall was driving along the main road towards
the airport and crashed into the
back of a minivan.
his case has been adjourned
to July 24.
Glen Hoff – had his case adjourned to August 1 as his psychiatric report has not yet been
made. he has not yet entered
a plea for a charge of common
assault. Police prosecuter Avele
naku said it wasn't done because hoff had left Dr rangi
Fariu's office during his appointment. the psychiatric
report has to be made to determine whether hoff will be “clear
of mind” when entering a plea.
Edwin Rangi Tere – was arrested and charged with excess
breath alcohol. JP Manarangi
fined tere $500 plus $30 for
court costs.
- Merita Wi-Kaitaia

13

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

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PUBLIC NOTICES
Apii Rutaki Meeting
The Ui Mataiapo of Rutaki and
the school PTA committee invite the parents, ex-pupils, ex
teachers, committee members
and those interested to come to
a meeting on Tuesday 23 July,
6.30pm at the Rutaki Meeting
House.
Agenda - Hosting the Rarotonga
Primary Schools Prince of Wales
Athletics.
chairman.
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54168 for an interview.
72650 / /1836

Mareko has a full time shop assistant vacancy available. Must
be honest, reliable and friendly.
Apply at Mareko’s or Phone
54320 for an interview.

VACANCY - MINISTRY OF
JUSTICE
A vacancy exists within the
Ministry of Justice for six (6)
months:
6x Data Entry Operators
Job descriptions are available
on request at the corporate Division of the Ministry of Justice
in Avarua.
Applications for the above vacancies should be addressed
to:
The Secretary (vacancy)
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 111
RAROTONGA
Or via email tvaiimene@justice.
gov.ck
Applications will close on Friday 2 August 2013 at 4pm.
72688 / /1796

The Ministry of Internal Afairs
invite applications for the position of CONSUMER OFFICER.
A full Job Description is available upon request.
Please contact Eva Mapu,
phone 29370 or email: admin@
intaf.gov.ck
Applications close on 31 July
2013.

72667 / /1873

72486 /32992 /2039

Very busy Bar/Restaurant
is looking for honest, reliable
Bartenders & waitresses. Must
be able to work day/nights includes Saturdays. Experience
preferred, training will be given.
Immediate start.
Please contact Rosa on
26464/74315 for an interview.

The Chamber of Commerce hereby invites both Members
and all interested parties to attend a General Meeting
on:
Date:
Thursday 25 July 2013
Time:
5pm
Venue:
Café Salsa
Agenda:
1. Presentation by the BTIB on their Foreign Investment
Application Process
2. Update by the Secretary of Foreign Afairs and
Immigration
For further information, please contact lynne at the
Chamber oice. Phone 20925 or email chamber@
commerce.co.ck
72597

72689 / /1703

Head Chef
We require a Head chef with
experience in running a resort
catering operation. Must be
innovative, energetic, a good
communicator,
non-smoker
and honest. Must be computer
literate and available 7 days.
Spa Supervisor
We require an experienced
masseuse & beauty therapist
who is experienced in a range
of therapies and treatments
suitable for a resort spa facility. Must be well groomed, energetic, a good communicator,
non-smoker and honest. Must
be available 7 days.
Restaurant Floor staf
We require experienced food
& beverage attendants to work
part-time in a small resort restaurant. Must be well groomed,
energetic, a good communicator, non-smoker and honest.
Must be available for evenings.
contact 22779.

PUBLIC NOTICE
TO:The LandOWners OF rauPa seCTiOn 87e3,
POKOinu-i-rarO
The Mortgagee of a deed of lease of the above land
situated in Arorangi, rarotonga in the area of 1,177m² has
entered into an agreement for the sale of the remainder
of the term of the deed of lease by way of assignment.
The sale is subject, among other things, to the
landowners waiving their irst right of refusal in respect
of the sale and (in the event of them waiving that right),
the consent of the majority of landowners residing in
rarotonga to the sale by way of assignment.
Should you wish to exercise the right of irst refusal as
a landowner and purchase the leasehold interest you
have one month from Friday, 19 July 2013 to notify us in
writing.
details of the proposed sale, including the price, and of
the purchaser are available to landowners whose names
appear on the register of Titles, on request to:
Heinz Matysik at little & Matysik P.C., Cook Islands
lawyers, Avarua, rarotonga, Tel: 21619, Fax 21615 or
email: heinz@lawyers.co.ck

PaVeMentaRtCOMPetitiOn
Who: open to those schools who entered the
competition by 19 July 2013
When: Thursday 25 July 2013
Where: lagoon boardwalk opposite Foodland
Time: 9am-11am
Theme: Taku Peu Maori Ka Ora
(My Maori Culture Will Live)
As a lead up to Te Maeva Nui celebrations we are running
a free to participate pavement art competition for the
schools of rarotonga on the lagoon side of the CBd in
Avarua on the Te Maire Nui road. Teams of school pupils
will be given a sponsor’s logo to copy onto the pavement
in coloured chalk on the day of the competition. The best
logo will win a prize and there will be consolation prizes and
sponsor give-aways for those participating. As an added
safety feature on the day, we have asked the Police to safety
cone of the lane nearest the lagoon side whilst we run the
competition.
For further information please contact Te Tuhi Kelly
Trade and Marketing Manager
Business Trade & Investment Board
email: tetuhi.kelly@btib.gov.ck
Ph: 24296

TOURISM PLANS 2013/2014
The Year that was and the Year to come...
you are invited
The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation Board and Management would like to invite you
to its quarterly industry meeting. The key objectives of this industry presentation is to
discuss the high level plans and activities for the inancial year 2013/14 and an update on
the Australian market by Kerryn Cook.
Presentations will be conducted on the following:
• Introduction by Chairman, ewan Smith
• overview of the 2012/2013 year, Ceo Halatoa Fua
• 2013/2014 Budget – director of Finance & Admin, Marcelle rossouw
• 2013/2014 Marketing Plans – director of Sales & Marketing, Karla eggelton
• 2013/2014 destination development Plans – director of destination development,
Metua Vaiimene
We introduce our Guest Speaker: Kerryn Cook – Australia General Manager – Australia
Marketing Plans
When:
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Time:
5pm
Venue:
edgewater resort & Spa
For catering and seating purposes, please rSVP no later than 3pm, Monday 22 July, 2013.
To register, please contact Carlene Mapu on +682 29435 or email carlene.mapu@
cookislands.gov.ck
72588

14

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

SITUATIONS VACANT

FOR FREE

SALES ASSISTANT
We are looking for an experienced front line Sales
Person with sound computer knowledge to join our busy
team who specialize in the sales of Motorcycles, Motor
Vehicles, Whiteware and Power equipment.
The main duties will include:
Frontline Sales
demonstration of Motor and Power equipment
record Keeping & Computer data Input
Maintaining Client database
Merchandising of Showroom and Front yard display
You Must:
Be outgoing, friendly and positive
Be able to work in a team environment
Have a Car and Motorcycle license
If you think you have what it takes to be part of a great
team - and want a golden opportunity to expand your
product knowledge - then submit your CV to:
Allister Webb – Sales Manager
Cook Islands Motor Centre ltd
Po Box 74 – rarotonga
or email: salesmanager@motorcentre.co.ck
Applications close Thursday 1 August 2013.
/

Head Housekeeping Supervisor
Sea Change Villas is seeking a Head Housekeeper
Supervisor to join their team.
The position involves managing a small housekeeping
team as well as hands on work to ensure the presentation
of our property is in accordance with our high standards.
The successful applicant will demonstrate a can-do,
responsible, and lexible approach to work, a keen eye
for detail and strong team building skills.
Previous experience in housekeeping is essential, and
experience with supervision or leading a housekeeping
team would be an advantage.
The successful applicant must be available to work shift,
weekends and public holidays.
To apply, please mail your cover letter, CV and
references to Sea Change Villas, Po Box 937, rarotonga.
Applications close 05 August 2013.
/

Teacher Aide (ESOL)

Applications are invited from qualiied and experienced
teachers or individuals for the above position to work
part time at Tereora College with an immediate start
inishing at the end of the school year.
Applications close on Wednesday 24 July 2013. A Jd
is available online at www.education.gov.ck for viewing;
applicants are to send a cover letter, CV with references
to:
director - HrM division
Ministry of education
Po Box 97 rarotonga Cook Islands
email: vacancy@education.gov.ck
72713

SITUATIONS VACANT

IFRS Accounting Consultant
Cook Islands Investment Corporation is in need of an
IFrS Accounting Consultant with extensive knowledge of
conversion to IFrS accounting. This person needs to be
available in July 2013.
The Consultant will be working with State owned
enterprises in assisting with IFrS conversions which
will involve gap assessment, system changes and IFrS
Balance Sheets for the years ending 2012 and 2013.
Applications close on 26 July 2013 at 4pm.
Applications along with a current CV to be sent to
CIIC, Po Box 51, Avarua, rarotonga, CooK ISlANdS.
For further details contact CIIC oice on (682) 29391 or
email tepaeru.hagai@cookislands.gov.ck
72517

EXCITING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES!!
NZQA Accredited training –Earn while you learn!
We ofer great career opportunities, great staf beneits
and a great team to work with!

HUMAN RESOURCES
Human Resources Assistant – Intermediate
position!
• This busy, varied position involves answering phones,
assisting with recruitment enquiries and providing
administration assistance.
To join the team you will need to be conident, have good
organization, communication & computer skills and a
great telephone manner.

BUILDING CENTRE
Driver/Warehouse Assistant – C class
drivers licence!
• Involves the assembling and delivery of customer orders
and shipping deliveries, recording and receipting of all
deliveries and assisting with stock takes.
you will need to be organised for this busy position.

MINISTry oF AGrICUlTUre

extension Oicer
The Ministry of Agriculture invites expressions of interest
from suitably qualiied, mature, and experienced
persons to ill the above position. The successful
applicant should have a good understanding of organic
agriculture, soil science, agricultural extension, and
information gathering and dissemination. The successful
applicant is expected to assist with the development of
agriculture in the outer islands including organic crop
farming and the dissemination of production and market
information to assist farmers make better informed
decisions. He/she must be luent in both the english
and Maori language, willing to up-skill knowledge in
agricultural science, and have a pleasant attitude.
Written applications including a CV should be addressed
to the Secretary of Agriculture, Po Box 96, rarotonga or
email mat.purea@agriculture.gov.ck
A Job description is available on request and applications
close 1 August 2013.
72594

MINISTry oF INTerNAl AFFAIrS

Senior Inspector – Employment
Relations
Labour/ Workers Compensation/
Employers Liability
The Ministry of Internal Afairs has a vacancy for the
position of Senior Inspector – employment relations
within the labour & employment relations oice. If
you are interested in the position, a full job description
and information pack is available upon request. Please
contact eva Mapu, phone 29370 or email admin@intaf.
gov.ck
Applications must be addressed to the Secretary of the
Ministry. Applications close 1 August 2013 at 4pm.

SALES & DISTRIBUTION

/

Picker/Drivers Assistant – C Class drivers
license an advantage!
• Involves assisting with the assembly, dispatch &
delivery of all orders around the Island for wholesale
customers.
you will need to be it and accurate with your orders.

Telemarketer – Great telephone manner!
• Taking customer orders over the phone, keeping
customers fully informed of new stock, promotions,
specials etc.
you will need to be organised, have good communication
and listening skills, and great customer service skills.

SUPERMARKET
Chef/Deli Supervisor – Do you have a flair for food?

• overseeing the production of salads and hot food,
ensuring freshness and quality of prepared food and
small goods.
Suit someone with previous food preparation and
supervisory experience with a passion for food.

Checkout Operator – accuracy will win the day!

• Completing all point of sale transactions, balancing
and reconciling cash. you will need a big smile and great
customer service skills!
Talk to us today about starting a career in retail! For further
details and a full job description contact eileen or Kai on
phone 23191, 54181 or email Klouis@citc.co.ck

MINISTry oF AGrICUlTUre

Job Opportunities
due to a growing demand within our resort, The
edgewater resort & Spa, are currently seeking full time
and part time staf, if you are a team player and are
looking for an enjoyable yet challenging role we would
encourage you to come and join our team. All applicants
must have: Good communication skills, be honest and
reliable, conidence and personality, the ability to work
well under pressure, know how to multitask. Full training
will be provided for the right applicants, currently we
have these positions available:
• Housekeeping Supervisor
• Housekeepers
• demi Chefs
• duty Manager
• Security/Porters
• Front oice
• Kitchenhands
• Night Auditors
• Maintenance
Please contact 55469 for any inquiries, application forms
can be obtained from the Front oice.
/

Biosecurity Oicer Vacancy
The Ministry of Agriculture is seeking to recruit a
Biosecurity oicer to work within the Biosecurity
Service. We are looking for a young person age between
18 – 21 years old that have completed NCeA level 3
qualiications from a tertiary institution.
The successful applicant should have good understanding
of general quarantine and have some computer skills will
be an advantage as it involves updating of biosecurity
data base registrar.
The successful applicant is expected to be willing to
up skill his/her knowledge in agriculture science and
be luent in both english and Maori, and must have a
pleasant attitude and relating to the sharing and transfer
of knowledge to the general public.
Written applications including CV should be addressed
to the Secretary of Agriculture, Po Box 96, rarotonga or
e mail mat.purea@agriculture.gov.ck
A job description is available on request and applications
close 4pm, Friday 2 August 2013.
72586

15

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 cook Islands News

FLIGHT
FROM ARRIVES
tuesdAy july 23

TO

DEPARTS

NZ748/749
NZ46/45
VA163/162

AKL
AKL
AKL

2.25AM
6.30PM
1.45AM

AKL
AKL

6.30PM
2.25AM

AKL
AKL
PPT

2.25AM
6.30PM
3.50PM

AKL
AKL
AKL

1.25AM
5.15PM
12.50AM

wednesdAy july 24
NZ46/45
NZ748/749

AKL
AKL

5.15PM
1.25AM

thursdAy july 25
NZ748/749
NZ46/45
GZ035/034

AKL
AKL
PPT

1.25AM
5.15PM
2.50PM

RARO
TO
tuesdAy july 23
0800 AITUTAKI
1030 AITUTAKI
1530 AITUTAKI

Air Rarotonga

International Flights

Flight Times | Voyage details

Hard

0850
1120
1620

0910
1140
1640

RARO
RARO
RARO

1000
1230
1730

A STRONG WINd WARNING REMAINS IN FORCE
FOR ALL sOUTHERN COOks WATERs.
Situation: A trough of low pressure lies
slow moving to the west of Southern Cooks.
Associated cloud and rain afect the group.
An easterly wind low prevails over Northern
Cooks.
Forecast to midnight for the Southern
Cooks: Waters: east to northeast winds 20
to 25 knots, gusting to 35 knots. rough to
very rough seas. Moderate southerly swells.
Poor visibility in areas of heavy rain and
thunderstorms. land: Moderate to fresh
easterly winds, gusty at times. occasional rain
and few thunderstorms.
Further outlook: occasional rain and few
thunderstorms.
For Rarotonga:occasional rain, heavy at
times and few thunderstorms.
Further outlook: occasional rain and few
thunderstorms.
For the Northern Cooks: Fine apart from brief
showers. Moderate easterly. Moderate seas.
Further outlook: Some showers.

Social 7s comp for women
stAY fit this winter and build
stronger relationships with
your friends and colleagues by
entering a team in the women’s
social sevens competition starting on August 7 and running for
four weeks.
the women’s social sevens
competition is to get you, your
female work colleagues and a
couple of the guys on to the ield
this winter for some fun rugby
sevens action each Wednesday.
the competition will comprise of two weeks of ripper
rugby to ease everyone into the
swing of rugby sevens and to get
the fun lowing.
the second two weeks of competition will be a rugby sevens
format.
to make it even more attractive to you and your workmates
the games will be played cross
field and you can have a maximum of two men on the ield at
any time to help make up your
team of seven players.
there are no registration fees
and uniforms are not compulso-

ry although everyone knows that
a unformed team is a united one.
there are great prizes to be
won including $300 cash for the
winning team, $200 for second
place and $100 for the third
placed team.
the competition is open to 8
teams and intending teams are
encouraged to register your interest now so you don’t miss out.
the competition is also a lead
up to the ‘Vaka Competition’ set
to kick off in september.
to register your team – contact Ben koteka on 54469 or Lara
sadaraka on 55741.
In the meantime, dust off
those rugby shorts, running
shoes and boots and grab the gals
and guys and get into the rugby
sevens fun.
- Matariki Wilson

Stay it this winter
and enter a team in
the 4-week social
women’s competition
starting august 7.

13072223

Rippa apopo
MOrE than 400 boys and girls
from rarotonga primary schools
will be twisting and twirling
this Wednesday at the annual
CI news Primary schools rippa
rugby tournament.
the one day tournament
will include over 30 teams from
schools across rarotonga who
will put their rippa rugby skills
to the test at raemaru Park in
Arorangi.
this year’s tournament,
once again sponsored by Cook
Islands news, will be hosted
by Papaaroa College who have
changed up the format for this
year’s competition to give all
schools a ighting chance at tak-

ing out top honours.
the tournament is always a
colourful and fun event for all
and parents as well as the community at large is invited to
raemaru Park to cheer on the
children as they carve up the
ield to score tries and fending
off defenders attempting to rip
off their Velcro tags.
rippa rugby is a non-contact
rugby based game that sees
players wear a Velcro belt with
two tags attached.
the object of the attacking
team is to score a try while the
defending team attempt to rip
a tag off.
- Matariki Wilson

More than 400 boys and girls will rip up raemaru
Park on Wednesday for the annual Ci news
rippa rugby Primary schools tournament.
12071823

SUP yoga guru returns
DOWnWArD dog and sun salutes
are no longer reserved for flexible people and yoga classes can
be exciting. that’s the buzz that
has attracted Charlotte Piho,
stand up paddleboard (suP)
yoga guru, and a Cook Islander
living in sydney, back to her
homeland.
Cook Islands tourism has
partnered with Piho and Coral
seas to develop a market for
week-long suP yoga retreats.
Piho opened her own suP
school in the city’s rose Bay in
October 2012. her school, Workout on Water has attracted celebrities and nrL football teams for
recovery training, which lead
to Charlotte abandoning her
finance career and five years of
study towards a law degree to
concentrate on her paddleboard
training business. not only is

Charlotte Australia's first and
only accredited suP Yoga instructor, she is also an internationally certified yoga teacher
(Ytt).
According to Charlotte, “yoga
on water unites the benefits of
both yoga and paddleboarding – providing a truly amazing
workout where all elements are
connected to one’s true self. I still
can’t believe how many people I
get coming to do yoga on boards
– these classes are ninety percent
of my lessons now.”
Observing the popularity of
stand up paddleboarding in the
Cooks and Australia, Charlotte
approached Coral seas, one of
Australia’s leading travel wholesalers, to package the activity as
the focus of a week-long holiday.
“If you’re going to salute the
sun it makes sense to get outside

and salute it. I’m all for fresh air
and sun on my skin and the tranquillity and romance of rarotonga are just inspirational.
the clear, warm lagoon adds
another dimension to a standard yoga routine, improving
your balance and stability…so,
it’s great for getting a six-pack
too as it really targets your core.”
Cook Islands tourism has supported the rarotonga retreats
launch with a publicity campaign encompassing media releases, social media posts and the
recruiting of four top media outlets to preview the retreats last
month. Writers from the news
Limited magazine sunday style,
Australian Associated Press,
Fairfax’s M Mag and Women’s
Fitness were universally thrilled
to ind themselves covering such
a unique holiday activity in such

an inspiring destination. their
itinerary also showcased other
fun and active things to do like
cycling round rarotonga, koka
Lagoon Cruises, Pa’s Cross Island
Walk, te Vara nui, Coco Putt and
nightlife, and the group stayed
courtesy of the sanctuary.
Andrew Frampton from AAP
summed it up: “It was absolutely
amazing. In fact, it's dificult to
express just how good the whole
experience was. the island itself,
the activities and the group that
travelled were all sensational.
Without question the best famil
I've ever been on!”
this season’s Yoga on Water
retreats began on July 20 with
more scheduled for August 17
and september 7. to join contact
Charlotte through her website
www.workoutonwater.com.
- Release/Sahiban Kanwal